Augsburg Lutheran Church marks 100 years

Exactly 100 years ago Feb. 22, six people from Glenwood Lutheran Church met in a room above a grocery store in West Toledo and started a church in what was then a distant suburb of Downtown Toledo.

Augsburg Lutheran Church is celebrating its milestone centennial year with a catered dinner the evening of Feb. 22 and a special worship service at 9:30 a.m. Feb. 23.

After branching off from Glenwood Lutheran on Monroe Street, Augsburg quickly began to flourish in West Toledo’s Library Village neighborhood. The first Augsburg Lutheran Church building was built in 1916, a wooden chapel on a wooded lot just half a mile west of the grocery store. The building could seat 120 and was quickly outgrown by the expanding church.

The congregation broke ground at its current location, 1342 W. Sylvania Ave., on Aug. 16, 1921 and moved into the imposing stone structure, with its large bell tower, the following year. It was built at a cost of $55,000 with members of the church council putting up their homes as collateral.

By the end of the 1930s, Augsburg’s Sunday school had more than 600 members and the number of confirmed members of the church was 1,019.

Augsburg underwent several renovations and expansions over the decades, including the addition of an educational unit, music room, lounge and chapel. When Augsburg celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1964, the church had swollen to 3,539 baptized members.

“It was the largest Lutheran church in Ohio at one time,” said Lori Reid, church secretary and lifelong member.

Lynne Jacobson, 57, also a lifelong member of Augsburg, remembers when the church facilities were bursting at the seams.

“The gymnasium was filled, there was a house next door and that was filled for Sunday school classes. They also had Sunday school upstairs in the church, and that was filled,” she said. “Every Sunday we had two services and the church was packed to the gills. My family always came late so we had to sit in the back row.”

Pat Dermer, 64, a member of Augsburg since 1958, said many members lived in the neighborhood.

“There were many people in this Library Village area who walked to church. My mother never drove so we always walked here,” she said.

Today, Augsburg has about 350 members, with Sunday attendance averaging 70 or 80 people. Much of the decline in numbers reflects national trends, especially for mainline Protestant churches. In addition, members say changing neighborhood demographics have impacted attendance.

Augsburg has gone from having a full-time pastor to having two part-time pastors, the Rev. Bill Fink who serves on an interim basis and presides at the Sunday services, and the Rev. Stacy Lauer-Scovanner, who handles weddings, funerals and visitations for Augsburg members — in addition to serving as senior pastor at Redeemer and Reformation Lutheran churches.

Lauer-Scovanner praised Augsburg’s members for their devotion in carrying out the work of the church.

“This is an amazing congregation full of people who are passionate about sharing the Good News of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection with those around them, in word and in action, and they feel called to be disciples in the world,” she said. “They reach out to kids and teenagers, to people who are hungry, they take Communion to those who are sick, and when a need arises, they are ready to step in.”

Fink said the shared pastoral duties have worked well, largely because of the support of the church’s lay leaders.

“They do a great job, not only with their lay Communion assistance but also with social ministries,” he said.

The church continues its outreach to Library Village, including providing free groceries through the Feed Your Neighbor program.

“This congregation is dedicated,” Jacobson added. “We will go on no matter what.”

One of the church’s most traumatic moments came in May 2005, when it was struck by an electrical fire. The stone structure survived but everything inside was damaged or destroyed. Rebuilding and restoration, which took more than a year and a half, included a redesign of the sanctuary, adjacent rooms and office spaces. The sanctuary was given a more open feel and a nursery with large windows was built right off the main sanctuary.

This weekend, the anniversary celebrations will not just reflect on 100 years of ministry, but look ahead as well, Fink said.

“We don’t want to be stuck looking backward. We are looking ahead to the next hundred years,” he said.

David Yonke is the editor and community manager of Toledo Faith & Values (ToledoFAVS.com), a website that provides in-depth, nonsectarian news coverage of religion, faith and spirituality in the Toledo area.

This entry was posted
on Friday, February 21st, 2014 at 3:45 pm and is filed under Uncategorized.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Community

Giving Store offers shopping experience to church charity

The 78-year-old great-grandmother held the vibrant pink blouse and skirt set against her as the store workers nodded approvingly. Yes, she decided, she would get the set. However, the woman wasn’t an average customer at a regular department store — she was one of the many served at the Glenwood Lutheran Church’s grand opening of The Giving Store.

On the Dec. 10 official grand opening, 157 families “shopped” free items and 58 people volunteered at 2545 Monroe St. in Toledo. Since beginning business in September, more than 300 families have been served at the free store. The store is open on the second Saturday of every month and the fourth Wednesday as well starting this month.

“The one thing we want to make sure is that our customers have a wonderful experience and one of the things we want to do is be gracious like God has been to us,” said Sharon Merritt, the store’s coordinator.

Glenwood Lutheran Church (GLC) largely modeled its store off the United Methodist Free Store in Columbus. About a year and a half ago, Rev. John Edgar came to Toledo to talk about his congregation’s store. His visit motivated Merritt to take a trip down to look — she was impressed and inspired.

“They have just been wildly successful because they have looked at the needs of their community,” Merritt said.

In The Giving Store’s first run in September, it served 50 families. In October, it served 80 and in November, 95 families came out. Many have been repeat customers, Merritt said.

Starting a store with no startup costs was a community effort. A former congregation member who worked at T.J. Maxx helped design the store for efficient customer flow while Merritt and other congregation members scouted out racks and shelves from a variety of places; Eddie Bauer also donated some.

The store is laid out like a department store with sections for women, men, children, housewares and linens. Strict guidelines are on enforced on how many of each item people can take and shoppers are called in from waiting in groups of 15 at a time.

“All of that detail work is what makes it a seamless experience when our customers come,” said GLC’s pastor, the Rev. Melissa Micham.

Each session starts with a brief service by Micham 15 minutes before the shopping experience begins. These services, while brief, give Micham a chance to touch on special issues and accept prayer requests.

“I think there’s greater freedom to acknowledge the harsh realities of life that people have experienced and to address and name for them what hope there is in Christ. They’re ready to hear that,” Micham said.

Service is typically held in a room across the hall from The Giving Store, but at the December grand opening, it was held in the sanctuary. A special breakfast, complete with Santa, and a Christmas room with newer items were other highlights from the grand opening. Some shoppers were so excited, they showed up at 7:20 a.m. even though the breakfast didn’t begin until 8 a.m., Merritt said.

“When people arrive they’re often very nervous, they don’t what to expect. They think there will be expectations placed upon them and when they leave they are beaming from ear to ear,” Micham noted.

Merritt said she has been impressed by the generosity of donors. She recalled going to a garage sale and talking with the woman running it about The Giving Store. The woman, who had recently been laid off, began giving Merritt items for the store.

“She was having a garage sale to generate a little extra cash and here she was donating things I know our customers would appreciate,” Merritt said. “It is heart-warming to me to know how much people are willing to help other people.”

Donations are typically accepted from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday at GLC. Micham recommended calling first if you plan to donate outside those hours.

Small household electronics in working condition are some of the most needed and popular items. Linens and children’s clothing are also appreciated donations, Merritt said.

The Giving Store will be open from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Jan. 25. There will also be a volunteer training session at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 24.

The great-grandmother had worked at Howard Johnson’s, St. Vincent Hospital and in voter education in her lifetime. “Before I swelled up,” she chuckled before beginning her slow walk home with some newly acquired yellow towels and her pink clothes. For more information, visit www.glenwoodlc.net.